PATNA, Oct. 24 -- Bihar's water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the charge of parliamentary affairs, has been the go-to man for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He has earned his position by dint of vast experience as ministers and Speaker of the assembly. he has been six-time MLA -- three times from Sarairanjan seat on the JD-U ticket (2010, 2015 and 2020) and three times from the erstwhile Dalsinghsarai constituency on the Congress ticket (1982, 1985 and 1990). In an interview with HT, he shares why he thinks that Nitish Kumar continues to be a popular leader and the NDA is heading towards a majority. How do you see Nitish Kumar starting off his poll campaign from your constituency, Sarairanjan? It is an honour and it will be highly beneficial for me. It has also added to the prestige of Sarairanjan, which I represent, as well as Samastipur district, which has always been very dear to Nitish Kumar due to the legacy of Bharat Ratna and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur. The PM is also coming to Samastipur, which underlines its importance. Samastipur district backed JD(U) strongly last time. Will it be tough this time? Last time, of the 10 seats, JD(U) won seven and that is 70% strike rate. What is significant is that in the last five years, the Nitish Kumar government has delivered a lot to keep the people's faith not only intact, but also to increase it. In Sarairanjan itself, medical college & hospital and engineering college have come up, besides multiple roads, bridges, irrigation and power projects to change the profile of the area. So, I see further improvement in poll results this time. But this time, the Opposition is raising anti-incumbency as the Nitish government has been in power for the last 20 years. The Opposition has been talking about it as they see it from their prism, not through people's perspective. Nitish Kumar is a leader who creates pro-incumbency because he delivers on people's aspirations. People trust him for the turnaround of the state that nobody wanted to bet on till a couple of decades ago. Nitish Kumar has delivered on every count. The cohesion of the NDA is another big factor. The Opposition remains disorganised and disoriented, while there is clarity and confidence in the NDA. I feel that the prospects in 2025 are much better than previous polls and the popularity of Nitish Kumar has reached its peak. What about speculations about Nitish Kumar's health and chances of him staying at the helm? This is nothing more than propaganda, as there is no specific health issue with him. In the last few months, Nitish Kumar has been more focused and active, coming up with major schemes, viz. free 125 units of electricity to the people, revolutionary Mahila Rozgaar Yojana etc. The impact can be visible to anyone visiting the rural areas and that is what makes an unnerved Opposition talk negatively and resort to personal attacks. After 20 years as CM, the NDA is again going into polls under his leadership. The Opposition is unable to digest the fact that he is going to become the CM again. The Opposition calls most schemes freebies? This is the bankruptcy of the RJD-Congress combine. They cannot challenge Bihar's rapid development under Nitish Kumar, so they resort to malicious campaigns. In fact, I had questioned the RJD for cheating the people by making them fill forms in the name of a non-existent scheme and seeking their personal data. What the Nitish-led NDA government has done for Bihar is neither hidden nor it needs to be said, as it is something the people have experienced across all castes and religions in equal measure. His work for women's empowerment remains matchless, as girls have joined diverse fields now and 1.4-crore Jeevika Didis tell the story of how far they have come to contribute to the state's growth in a meaningful way. There is gender parity at the level of secondary education and the number of women in grassroots governance and jobs has swelled. Do you see any impact of the Opposition's "vote chori" campaign? No campaign can sustain without people's support. No wonder, the "vote chori" campaign also fizzled out, as it did not get any support. It also proved yet another failed attempt like campaigns against the CAA and NRC. People here are more aware how booth loots and bogus voting were carried out in the past and they cannot be misled now. Campaigns emerge from the masses, not from drawing room discussions. Here the only campaign I see is of Bihar people for more development, as Nitish Kumar has the credit of making them more aspirational. I have not come across anyone in my constituency complaining that his name has been deleted. The Opposition tried to create insecurity in the minds of minorities through SIR, but have lost their faith also....